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Eastern Cincinnati neighborhoods have been struck by a rash of burglaries this year. From Jan. 1 to June 16 this year, there were 505 burglaries in police District 2, up from 291 for the same period last year, according to police department crime statistics.

From Jan. 1 to June 16 this year, there were 505 burglaries in police District 2, up from 291 for the same period last year, according to police department crime statistics.
That's a 74 percent increase, far more than in any of Cincinnati's five police districts.
The neighborhoods in District 2 are Hyde Park, Oakley, Mount Lookout, East End, East Walnut Hills, Evanston, California, O'Bryonville, Pleasant Ridge, Kennedy Heights, Columbia Tusculum, Linwood, Madisonville and Mount Washington.
Every neighborhood in this district except O'Bryonville and Kennedy Heights has suffered an increase in burglaries this year.

This year's citywide burglary total through June 16 is 2,689, compared with 2,336 for the same period last year, a 15 percent jump.
Police Sgt. John Cordova said the District 2 office is analyzing the burglary statistics to find out why there has been such a dramatic increase this year in the East Side and to verify the accuracy of the figures.

He said gangs are not responsible for the burglaries.

“It’s the activity of individuals, not gangs,” Cordova said.

The crime statistics are accessible through Cincinnati’s website, www.cincinnati-oh.gov by clicking on “Departments”, “Police Department” and then “2010 Crime Statistics.”
Columbia Tusculum is experiencing one of the sharpest increases in burglaries so far this year, from 9 at this time last year to 29 so far this year.

Arlene Golembiewski, president of the Columbia Tusculum Community Council, said the burglaries haven’t been confined to the neighborhood’s most affluent streets. Some occurred around Eastern Avenue and smaller streets off Columbia Parkway, she said.
“A lot of the home burglaries are due to the fact that people have unlocked doors and windows,” she said.

Hyde Park, one of the city’s most affluent neighborhoods, had a small increase, from 31 last year to 33 this year.

Carl Uebelacker, an officer with Hyde Park Neighborhood Council, said monthly police reports to the council indicate a majority of the crimes committed in Hyde Park are thefts from cars.
“It’s just amazing what people leave in cars,” he said. “We keep preaching don’t leave anything in your car.”

Burglaries in Madisonville are running 36 percent ahead of last year, from 66 to 90.
Bob Igoe, president of the Madisonville Community Council, said many of the burglaries occurred during the daytime when residents are at work.

He said the spate of burglaries has prompted an increased interest in new block watch programs in Madisonville. A block watch meeting this week drew 50 people, an unusually high number, he said.

“If there’s a silver lining to this,” Igoe said, “it’s that neighbors are realizing that we all need to work together.”

By the numbers

Below is a neighborhood-by-neighborhood breakdown of the burglaries in Cincinnati’s East Side or police District 2 from Jan. 1 through June 16 this year and for the same period last year:
Last year This year
California: 5; 8
Columbia Tusculum: 9; 29
East End: 10; 49
East Walnut Hills: 12; 21
Evanston: 51; 87
Hyde Park: 31; 33
California: 5; 8
Linwood: 1; 12
Madisonville: 66; 90
Mount Lookout: 6; 15
Mount Washington: 33; 36
Oakley: 27; 57
O’Bryonville: 3; 2
Pleasant Ridge: 31; 41

"From Jan. 1 to June 16 this year, there were 505 burglaries in police District 2, up from 291 for the same period last year, according to police department crime statistics.
That's a 74 percent increase, far more than in any of Cincinnati's five police districts.

This year's citywide burglary total through June 16 is 2,689, compared with 2,336 for the same period last year, a 15 percent jump."

A quick analysis of these numbers mean burglaries in west side neighborhoods have gone down...a lot.

I wouldn't assume it's the economy, times were just as tough if not more so a year ago.

If I live in HP I'm not expecting a thief to walk by my car evry night. It's ridiculous. I leave my car windows down half of the time and always leave at least my iPod, some cash, and tools in the car.

Speaking to District 2 officers, it's pretty much the story in Oakley, Hyde Park, and Mt. Lookout that we make ourselves easy marks. We're complacent. We leave valuable stuff in plain sight in cars, and I have neighbors who never bother to close their garage doors. People leave windows open while they're at work...it's basically an open invitation. Many of the perps are not from the area...D2 has picked up suspects from as far away as N KY, the west side, and so on. They come into the neighborhoods because they know we're naive and easy marks and there are rich pickings.

Theft from autos is the biggest problem...it's easy. One thief can hit a row of 20 parked cars in a matter of minutes.

Businesses have been getting hit pretty hard...safe crackings, people dropping in through the roof in Hyde Park Plaza.

The Oakley stats get a little skewed on the robbery side, because any time someone shoplifts at Target or Meijer and struggles, the crime gets elevated. More retail = inflated stats.

There is a 'shift' going on demographically. The West side (admittedly a section 8 haven for years) has had a large number of bankruptcys and foreclosures among some of the larger "slumlords" One slumlord who was primarily in S Fairmount and Price Hill went under with 52 section 8 units. Because those were really "decent" old houses with some intact architecture they are being snapped up by "preservation minded buyers' and are being restored back to single family.

The West side section 8 pool is being depleted via restoration and the city's unfortunate demo policy. At the same time lots of foreclosures on the east side in basically "middle class areas" due to job loss among the middle class. That has freed up basically sound real estate at "bargain basement prices". Attractive to this new wave of "get rich investor types' who can get even more money per unit (section 8) or non section 8 , in a better demographic.

Still , not politically correct, but those who do not own, don't really care about their neighborhood.

I'd be curious to see what this shift looks like in the 2010 census numbers when those tabulations are done, but I would bet more lower income people now are moving east thanks to the foreclosure crisis and that is starting to 'level out' the crime demographic. Probably will see a higher number of rentals east over the next five years with a corresponding increase in crime.

Much like crime moves to suburbia it is moving to the "sacred" eastside or as those who live there call it 'the good side of town".

In a few years the poor will be pushed out, living in Harrison and Sharonville and the far burbs and the 'monied' will be back downtown. especially when suburban schools go downhill and we see an influx of private and charter schools downtown.

Cities go through cycles too! In a few years the people who trash the Urban neighborhoods will be remarking about 'how expensive" things are downtown and they didn't see the writing on the wall.

As someone who loves old houses there is a certain 'perverse pleasure" in seeing "McMansions" converted to multi unit apartment buildings much like the grand Victorian homes were ruined in the 70's, 80's and 90's.

In case you think I'm, crazy I watched this same thing happen in Louisville and Indianapolis when I lived there. Cincy is just a little "late to the prom."

Thats why I'm in an Urban neighborhood and NOT suburbia. I know what is gong to happen next.

As someone who loves old houses there is a certain 'perverse pleasure" in seeing "McMansions" converted to multi unit apartment buildings much like the grand Victorian homes were ruined in the 70's, 80's and 90's.

In case you think I'm, crazy I watched this same thing happen in Louisville and Indianapolis when I lived there. Cincy is just a little "late to the prom."

Thats why I'm in an Urban neighborhood and NOT suburbia. I know what is gong to happen next.

Just because you think it should be happening, does not mean that it actually is happening. On the contrary, District 2 (the OP's topic) has enjoyed a restoration of its own beyond anything you might ever imagine for the West side. There has probably been more (dollar value) improvement in the 12 blocks of Observatory Ave. in the last ten years than the investment made in all of Fairmont.

And, if you can point me to one single "McMansion" in District 2 that has been turned into multifamily or Section 8 then I promise I'll stop bashing Fairmont.

Last edited by Wilson513; 06-26-2010 at 03:54 AM..
Reason: Be nicer.

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